Esther Rockett accuses Universal Medicine of being a cult and to justify this title she has attempted to use the writings of RJ Lifton and Margaret Thale Singer (whom she mistakenly and ignorantly refers to as ‘cult’ experts) to assert that Serge Benhayon exerts mind control by way of covert hypnosis amongst other techniques. Melton has pointed out that:

‘Since the late 1980s, though a significant public belief in cult-brainwashing remains, the academic community-including scholars from psychology, sociology, and religious studies – have shared an almost unanimous consensus that the coercive persuasion/brainwashing thesis proposed by Margaret Singer and her colleagues in the 1980s is without scientific merit …. it has been difficult to locate any scholar in the English-speaking world who has been willing to attempt a defense of it, and even Singer herself has appeared to back away from her earlier position.’ (Melton, 2000).

The ‘cult’ word has been used by a world-wide anti-cult movement that has sought to attack new religions of all shapes and sizes over the past 50 years. It has found willing helpers in the media where outlandish stories or conflictual stories of ‘cults’ sell copy. The word itself is intended to bring with it negative connotations. One such negative connotation is that anyone who joins a cult must be brainwashed and that this results in ‘mind-control’ exerted by the practices of the groups they join. Brainwashing has found its place in popular culture, so much so that when one researcher asked people why someone might join a ‘cult’ most of them answered ‘brainwashing’.

Esther Rockett in her internet trolling has made extensive accusations that Universal Medicine is a ‘cult’, accompanied by inferences that anyone who attends a Universal Medicine event or has a private session with Serge Benhayon, could be somehow put under his spell by a process of covert hypnosis (a technique that does not actually exist), and that Serge Benhayon was able to bend people to his will with amazing powers of persuasion – basically that he could dupe his audiences by hypnotic suggestion. These powerful techniques are somehow administered during workshops, by meditations and listening to Serge Benhayon giving lectures (either in person or on tape).

Esther Rockett’s preposterous ideas of ‘mind control’, ‘thought reform’, ‘brainwashing’, ‘covert hypnosis’, ‘deception, dependency and dread’ are all part of a discredited ‘theory’ that was promulgated by the anti-cult movement to serve an agenda. The agenda was two-fold:

to discredit any organisation that held unorthodox beliefs, or beliefs and practices that they did not like; and

to justify the business that grew up around ‘deprogramming’ – an ineffective and harming process that involved kidnapping and programming victims with beliefs that were considered more satisfactory to the anti-cult network. Such techniques were ineffective – since they were based upon a false theory that you can change someone’s beliefs by the processes of ‘thought reform’.

Brainwashing and mind control has found a niche in popular culture – it is commonly assumed that such a process actually exists. It surprises most people to find out that there is no such technique and it is the fiction of movies and books. Brainwashing was originally developed by the American CIA as a propaganda device to explain why Korean POW’s converted to communism whilst incarcerated. The CIA wanted people to believe that the only reason that anyone would convert to Communism was due to ‘brainwashing’ – a process (according to the CIA) which included conditioning, deception and hypnosis (Anthony, 1999). It was said to change a person into something like a robot with a completely new (and false) personality and unable to resist new belief systems. The CIA went to great lengths to popularise this fiction – enlisting Edward Hunter as a covert propaganda specialist to write two books on the subject and providing Richard Condon with the ideas for his novel The Manchurian Candidate (1958). Yes, the idea of thought reform and mind control were science fiction!

The anti-cult movement latched onto the idea of brainwashing to justify its kidnapping of religious devotees and subjecting them to ‘de-programming’ on the grounds that their victims were incapacitated by brainwashing and needed ‘saving’. They also attempted to argue that ex-‘cult’ members could not be held accountable for crimes they had committed, supposedly because they were brainwashed, and also that new religions should be held liable for the supposed harm of these brainwashing techniques. Margaret Singer was at the forefront of this as a paid witness in these cases. She utilised the work of American psychiatrist RJ Lifton on totalitatarian regimes to justify her theories. However,

there was no basis to apply Lifton’s work to such situations (none whatsoever);

Lifton’s work was not actually a psychological theory that had been tried and tested, it was merely an explanation that might explain a process of captive POW’s taking on the beliefs of their captors.

Esther Rockett attempts to give her fabrications about the fictional ‘Universal Medicine cult’ credence with ‘impressive’ references to Margaret Singer, West, Clark and Lifton and supposed applications of Lifton’s work to the ‘Universal Medicine cult’. There is a problem here for the unwary reader – none of what Esther Rockett trolls about has any application to Universal Medicine and none of it has any validity as a theory. Every bit of it is based upon CIA propaganda that Esther Rockett has swallowed hook, line and sinker. We will have a look at Esther Rockett’s gullibility in future blogs, but her predeliction for science fiction fantasy appears to be shared by Lance Martin – who has contributed to her anti-cult ‘research’.

Esther Rockett and Lance Martin either did very poor research or they have been attempting to mislead their readers. I would suggest that the latter is more likely, since it is well known that the fictions of the CIA as developed by Margaret Singer to apply to ‘cults’ have been well and truly discredited. The American courts at first had a mixed response to claims of brainwashing but in the end unequivocally ruled that such claims had no basis in science.

However compelling ‘brainwashing’ sounds as a populist myth it has convincingly been proved to be false by research on indoctrination practices (Anthony, 1990).

Abundant research has shown that the CIA program never produced techniques that impacted on free will (Marks, 1980). The falsity of brainwashing theory has been widely accepted by scientists and professional associations (such as the American Psychological Association) and been ruled inadmissible by courts as lacking scientific credibility (Anthony and Robbins, 1995).

Many attempts have been made to rehash brainwashing theory by using different descriptions of it – such as ‘mind-control’ or ‘hypnosis’ or ‘dissociation’ – to hide the fact that the proponents are relying on a discredited theory.Esther Rockett internet trolls about every single version of the brainwashing theory. One attempt has been to use research on mind control in totalistic communities (like Communist China) to argue that religious practices amounted to coercive persuasion. RJ Lifton, on whom Esther Rockett relies to make her cult accusations against Universal Medicine in her blogs, is one such researcher. The courts quickly knocked these arguments out, accepting that RJ Lifton’s work only presented that individuals have only been shown to change their beliefs when they have a gun to their head and that, unsurprisingly, practicing meditation (or singing and chanting), is not considered to be the same as a gun to the head (see US v Fishman, 743 F Supp 713 (ND Cal. 1990).

Esther Rockett, has also tried the same deception on her readers. She variously presents that the ‘gentle breath meditation’ taught by Serge Benhayon as well as other practices such as ‘recitation and repeating affirmations’ are all ‘technique[s] for indoctrination and thought reform. ’ She refers to Universal Medicine students as being ‘programmed to …. to maintain chronic dissociative states through ‘meditation’, ‘mindfulness’ and ‘gentle breath’.’

Esther continues her fabrications with general statements about what ‘cults’ do interspersed with references to the work of Serge Benhayon, suggesting some expertise. However, every reference she makes, however plausible it may sound is all related to the discredited fiction of the CIA and Margaret Thale Singer. For instance Esther writes:

‘Many cults appear to systematically and unethically employ consciousness-altering techniques and rituals in their efforts to manufacture spiritual experiences, increase suggestibility, maintain long-term dissociative states and reinforce mystical thinking. In cults, “trance can become a conditioned [behavior/personality] pattern … a way of calming disturbing thoughts and censoring the mind … trance cuts off the input of sensory information.” (Appel, 1983. p. 133) Clark (1979) summarizes the power of prolonged use of cult-induced hypnosis and self-hypnosis: “It becomes an independent structure … [the] basic controls of the central nervous system seem to have been altered (p. 210).’

Not one single aspect of what Esther Rockett writes about thought reform and dissociation have any credibility. Notably all Esther Rockett’s references are to works from the early 1980’s. As mentioned above – Gordon Melton points out that no-one has credibly asserted the mind control theories since the 1980’s. The suggestions by Clark (a close associate of Singer) of nervous system change were never substantiated – it was all hypothesis with no research – and no-one has stepped forward to validate any of the theories since that time (Melton, 2000). What Esther Rockett writes is simply not true – it has no basis in fact, no basis in science and worse she misleads her readers with distorted and fabricated claims. It is the very worst of covert misinformation practices – taking up the manipulation of her readership in the same way the CIA sought to ensure the public did not consider other reasons that the POW’s may have taken up communist beliefs, that is that there were compelling reasons to do so!

Is it possible that the large numbers of Universal Medicine students have compelling reasons to enjoy all that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have to offer – not the least better health, relationships and overall well-being.

The bottom line of all religious conversion literature is that people choose their own beliefs (you cannot impose them) but no-one, and this is clear, no-one changes their beliefs without choosing to do so. Hypnotism and suggestion do not have this effect, the only thing that appears effective to force someone to change their fundamental beliefs is a gun to the head – although given Esther Rockett’s lies that she has told thus far, it is possible she will now attempt to paint a gun wielding Serge Benhayon as the catalyst for Universal Medicine success?

Comments on this blog are now closed

Thank you Alison for the clarity with which you debunk the myth of brainwashing.

Elizabeth McCann says:July 21, 2014 at 12:07 am

Thank you Alison for exposing the myth of Brainwashing for what it is. By the way I love the illustrations.

Samantha England says:November 5, 2014 at 5:37 pm

I second that Elizabeth, Alison has done a great job in exposing the myth of brainwashing and in doing so she has also exposed the lies and agenda of Esther Rockett.

Penny Scheenhouwer says:January 28, 2015 at 9:03 am

A great debasing of the myth of brainwashing by Alison Greig. I know that all that Esther Rockett claims about Serge Benhayon and his ability to brainwash people is false as I am the living proof of that. I am no mindless, brainwashed idiot. I am a highly intelligent woman who makes her own choices, very much knows her own mind and is not easily fooled. Can Esther Rockett say the same thing I wonder?

Elizabeth Dolan says:February 2, 2015 at 6:02 am

Thank you Alison. This is a truly great exposing of the myth of brainwashing.

It makes total sense that brainwashing is just something that has been made up.

It seems that the CIA, so called cult experts, anti-cult experts, cyber trolls like Esther Rockett and cyber bully Lance Martin, all rely on one thing and that is that they underestimate people’s intelligence and ability to see through lies.

The fact that Esther Rockett and Lance Martin have gone about discrediting Universal Medicine by using the lie of brainwashing just shows that they are very comfortable with telling lies to suit their agenda.

They simply refuse to acknowledge the simple fact that a “large numbers of Universal Medicine students have compelling reasons to enjoy all that Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine have to offer – not the least better health, relationships and overall well-being”.

Thanks Alison Greig for clearing up the whole story on the myth of brainwashing. It is indeed a very entrenched belief in society nowadays.

Talking of ‘recitation and repeating affirmations’, I see more of this among spectators cranking themselves up into highly emotional states watching team sports or rock stars performing. But even then, it’s freely chosen.

Did any of the detractors like Esther Rockett or Lance Martin ever bother to ask us about how we feel during and after gentle breath meditation? I can state unequivocally that it increases my already clear awareness of sensory information, not cuts it off. There is no ‘trance’ involved, just increased awareness and clarity leading to better life choices.

As for “the basic controls of the central nervous system seem to have been altered”, watch a group of people who’ve gotten together to tell jokes….! Our nervous system is constantly changing in response to our inner and outer environments. There’s nothing ‘hypnotic’ or ‘cultish’ about it. We always choose our level of awareness and what we think, say and do, even when we pretend that someone or something else ‘made us do it’.

Rachel Andras says:February 18, 2015 at 4:38 am

Thank you for exposing the myth of brainwashing. It’s incredible what people and their systems are capable to invent just to justify their cause. Has she ever presented anything that could be of real concern? Why is Esther Rockett so worried about people living a healthy life? How can someone be so disturbed by other people’s healthy life choices that they resort to false accusations of sexual abuse?

Johanne Brown says:December 28, 2015 at 9:28 am

It appears that Esther Rockett’s method of discrediting Universal Medicine by publicly lacing it with the label of ‘cult’ is her attempt to cause distraction to the undeniable and continuing success and turn around of the health and wellbeing of the many thousands of people who have attended a Universal Medicine course or retreat.

Nicole Sjardin says:January 16, 2016 at 11:21 pm

I have chosen to follow and believe in some ridiculous things in my life I would love to abdicate responsibility and point the finger at brainwashing but it is simply not the truth at all times it was my choice, there were times where i was vulnerable and put myself in dangerous situations,but there was always a point where I knew it was time to get out or what was being presented was ridiculous, or the sales pitch was a bit too strong. This has never been my experience with Universal medicine in fact Serge is one of the few presenters who openly engages with the audience ask for questions and challenges and often says this is your workshop where do you want it to go

Joseph Barker says:January 26, 2016 at 6:54 am

When we get down to this discussion about ‘cults’, to me it shows how much we live with nefarious ideas and concepts about life, we band around, without every stopping to consider if they actually stack up in reality. Having these pre-conceptions seems to give us control and safety by having something we can pigeonhole. Yet what Esther Rockett and Lance Martins’ attacks show is just how these false beliefs keep us imprisoned in misery and what we ‘think’ we know.

Shevon Simon says:February 4, 2016 at 5:47 am

This is a really well researched piece of writing, presenting all of the evidence and weighing it up in order to present the Truth.

Shevon Simon says:February 5, 2016 at 4:45 am

What I love about this blog, is that Alison Greig is not taking sides. Alison has conducted brilliant research into what Esther Rockett has presented and the evidence speaks for itself, in that at every juncture, what Esther Rockett is saying is not confirmed as true. There is no bias in what Alison has written and this you can tell by its tone. It was the first piece of writing that I’d written which clearly presented the facts as they are with no spin, no venom, no side remarks and no belittling. It is a very respectful piece and it inspires me when writing to hold that integrity.

Golnaz Shariatzadeh says:February 17, 2016 at 10:18 pm

Mankind has become so practiced at re-interpreting things to suit his own need. I recall at school in a political debate study I was place on a team that was to back a slogan I completely opposed but the purpose was to learn to draw on published research, documents and famous quotes to make the slogan I was championing sound true! To me ‘truth’ has always been sacrosanct and I could not believe my ears that we were being trained to lie in a professional and believable way!
What Universal Medicine teaches is the polar opposite of that. Inspires us to not be seduced by anyone and anything outside of us, but to discern everything (including the workshops) , to connect deeply to our innermost and discern the truth of what we hear or even think. The question is, does it originate through my Soul and have love, harmony, joy and serve everyone equally. Or is it through my spirit and creating the opposite?

Nicole Sjardin says:March 18, 2016 at 1:16 am

Until I read this article a while ago and was accused of being brainwashed I hadn’t really ever considered whether or not it was possible to actually brainwash someone. If it were possible you think we would be seeing it used it a positive way to help some of the truly distressing issues that humanity are facing. I have being studying with Universal Medicine for 10 years and my brain is not washed nor my mind controlled.

If brain washing was a real possibility, then we would need to look very closely at some of the organisations and businesses that presume to hold a lot of global power and influence, especially those that stand behind and support certain government bodies or political figures.
If brain washing were true, then we would essentially need to re-asses our entire societal processes to check that no one in under the influence of someone else and making decisions as such.
If brain washing was as easy as Esther Rockett claims it to be, then there are some pretty major questions that need to be asked of us as an entire human race, not just of one small business from Australia.

Even though brainwashing has been scientifically proven to be untrue, there are those who are insufficiently sure of themselves who are influenced by what they see in the media, what celebrities do, and sadly, what cyberbullies write. Teenagers’ lives have been destroyed by insults and lies told by others at their school – it may not be ‘brainwashing’ but words can truly harm, and we can get so wrapped up in our own beliefs that seeing the actual truth becomes impossible. How much more essential it is, then to encourage children to grow up believing in themselves, totally aware of just how awesome they are, able to live in a way that is respectful of others and caring for themselves. Serge Benhayon presents just that, in the way he lives and in the way he is with everyone he meets.

Golnaz Shariatzadeh says:April 4, 2016 at 10:31 pm

How ironic that an organisation that is dedicated in supporting people to reconnect to their connection to their innermost and living according to the inherent love, wisdom and awareness within themselves – which then naturally stops us from getting seduced by the false promises and lies from outside of us – is being accused of brainwashing!

Joseph Barker says:April 7, 2016 at 9:05 pm

What remains unsaid but heavily implied in these ‘brainwashing’ allegations is the idea that we are powerless in the face of propaganda and lies, that we can be sucked in, manipulated and controlled beyond our will. This is not true in any shape or form, we always have a choice. So if we persist with perpetuating unfounded fabrications like Esther Rockett does here, it is clear, we have made a deliberate choice not to see the truth.

About this Website

This site was launched in May 2014 to address over 2 years of cyber-bullying and trolling by a small gang who had relentlessly pursued their targets anonymously: presenting lies, malicious innuendos and disgusting false allegations. They fixed their attention on Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine and anyone they considered associated with the organisation.

This misguided pursuit has been planned and executed with hate and indecency as its vigour; approaching employers, service companies anywhere where they could attempt to discredit, to ruin businesses and careers. They kept their public identity anonymous but are now exposed. As there were no signs of these cyber-bullies ceasing their harassment we decided to uncover their conduct. The Facts about Universal Medicine exposes the trolls and cyber-bullies – it provides nothing but a truthful account linking the cyber-bullies real identities to what they have said and done anonymously.

After two years of relentless harassment by Esther Rockett,Lance Martin and Robert Macindoe they were exposed on this site, it is perplexing but not surprising to hear that the cyber-bullies are now claiming to be the victims of bullying and harassment. It is not bullying and harassment to call those people to account who have engaged in such harmful conduct, nor is it bullying and harassment to pose questions as to what might be motivating their conduct.

All that is said is based upon what they have written for the public record. You, the reader can make up your own minds when you see what they have done and the lengths to which they have gone.

From the UM Facts Team

Interesting to note, there was no media interest in Universal Medicine, and not one complaint ever lodged with any Government departments until the end of Lance Martin's marriage to Anna Douglass.

We apologise the content of this section is no longer available. Anna Douglass who has presented her true account about Lance Martin's vendetta against Universal Medicine and the demise of her marriage was compelled to ask for her comment to be removed because of ongoing threats by Lance Martin of family court proceedings if she did not have the material taken down.

Definitions

Internet troll: An internet troll is someone who anonymously post malicious or provocative messages on the Internet with the sole purpose of upsetting or harming others and inciting emotional reactions.

Cyber-bullying: is the wilful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of the internet, cell phones, other electronic devices, by way of using instant messaging, e-mail, chat rooms or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass threaten or intimidate someone. The problem is compounded by anonymity as it allows the cyber-bully to take a ‘moral vacation’.

Cyber-stalking involves using the internet (or other electronic means) to repeatedly harass an individual, group or organisation. It can include monitoring any online activity of the target, gathering information to threaten or harass and the dissemination of false accusations and defamatory material. Cyber-stalking often features linked patterns of online and offline behaviour (‘real-time’ stalking) such as sending threatening emails.